Two-compartment envelope



Dec. 10, I929. c. E. CATHER TWO-COMPARTMENT ENVELOPE 2 sneets-snei 1Fiieq Aug. 2, 1926 v C/fg/fl E f her Dec. 19, 1929.

TWO-COMPARTMENT ENVELOPE Filed Aug. 2, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vN\\\\\\\\\\\\\&

By m-vze E E MW c. E. CATHER 1,738,562

Patented Dec. 19, l92

rrn sr CHARLES E, CATHER, WORCESTER, Iv'EAESSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOUNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFEELD, IvIASSACZ-ZUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF llIAINE lWVO-COMPARTMENT ENVELOPE Application filedAugust 2, 1928. Serial No. 128,590.

The present invention relates to envelopes for mailing purposes, andmore particularly to envelopes which provide two separate compartmentsin a unitary one-piece-blank structure,the purpose being to provide adouble or duplex envelopev for the transmission by mail to the sameaddress of two dif ferent classes of postal matter, mailableat difierentrates of postage.

he invention contemplates an envelope structure providin a compartmentor pocket of large size to receive bulky H1ttllI,-SUCl1 as merchandise,catalogues and the like, which are ma-ilable at a low postal rate, andintegral therewith, and within the area of said large compartment, asmaller compartment or pocket, capable of being separately and securelysealed, and adapted'tocontain the invoice, bill, letter or the like,which, though mailable at a higher postal rate, it is desired totransmitwith the bulky matter, under one and the same address. Accordingto the invention, such a two compartment envelope structure is made froma single sheet or blank, and the manufacture is under such simplerequirements for gumming, folding and sealing as to render quantityproduction entirely feasible by the automatic machines which areemployedin the manufacture of ordinary single-pocket or standardenvelopes. The above and other advantageous features of the inventionwill be set forth more fully hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the sheet orblank from which the envelope of my invention is a blank made.

Fig. isa similar VlGW=yilhlStTfltlllf said I after it has been initiallyfolded.

3 is a view illustrating the duplex or two compartment envelope madefrom the blank of 1,- and showing the two coin V a modifiedform of theinvention.

Fig. 6 illustrates the envelope made from the blank of Fig. 5.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in'the different figures.

"lie ferring first to Fig. 1, the envelope blank provides a rectangularbody portion 1, constituting when'the blank is folded, the unseainedface or, as it. is sometimes called, the front wall of the envelope. Onopposite sides of the body portion 1, the blank is pro vided with sideflaps 2 and 8, which, when folded toward each other along the lines aand 5, respectively, will overlap substantially at the center of thebody portion 1, thus forming the back wall of the envelope by their.adhesion longitudinally at the place'of overlapping, such adhesion beingeffected by gumming 6, here shown as extendingalong the edge of sideflap 2, but itcould as well be provided along the edge of side flap3,011 the reverse side thereof.

Between the front unscamed wall formed.

inner face of body portion 1, as shown inFig.

Thereafter the flaps 2 and 3 are folded over, with the formeroverlapping the latter, so that the moist gum 6 will adhere to flap 3and form the center seam of the back wall of the envelope,as shown inFig. 3. vides anenvelope having two compartments, one a largecompartment between the body portion 1 and flap or partitioni, to whichaccess is had for the insertion ofmail matter by way of end entrance 9,Fig. 3, and the other a small compartment between side flap 3 andpartition 7, to which access is had for the insert-ion of mail matter byway of an en'- trance slit- 10, formed in the flap 8 a sufficient Thispro-- distance from its free edge so as to escape being overlapped bythe flap 2.

The end entrance 9 to the large compartment is adapted to be closed,after insertion of mail matter, by a flap 11, provided for this purposeeither with a metallic fastener of the well known type, as shown in Fig.6, or with a suitable margin of adhesive 14, as shown in Fi 3, adaptedto be moistened by the user and stuck down against the back wall of theenvelope. The entrance slit 10 of the small compartment is adapted to beclosed, after the insertion of the mail matter, by a seal flap 12, whichin this instance is constituted by an integral extension of the sideflap 2, and is provided with a margin of adhesive 13 adaptedtoxbemoistened by the user and stuck down against the back wall of theenvelope, as indicated in Fig. l. As shown in Fig. 3, the inclosure forthe small compartmentis of such size, or is so folded, as to project,along its edge, slightly through the entrance slit 10', thus preventingendwise movement of said inclosure within said small compartment, afterthe flap 12 has been scaled. down.

The envelope structure thus achieved at fords. complete segregationbetween the two compartments, so that matter mailable at a low postal ormerchandise rate, may be placed in the large compartment, and mattermailable at a higher postal or letter rate, may be placed in the smallcompartment, single address being sufiicient for both classes of mail;matter. Although both compartments may ostensibly be sealed, the smallerone by the gumming 13 on seal flap 12, and the larger one by gumming 14on flap 11, nevertheless the constructionis such that the lower postalrates on mail ma ter not inaccessibly sealed may be invoked for thecontents of both pockets or compartments, for the reason that the flapor partition Y is free at all times, in the construction illustrated inFigs. 1 to 4 inclusive, to be pulled out from between the front and backwalls of the envelope. as shown in Fig. 4, thus to permit inspection ofthe contents of either or both pockets without disturbing the seals13and 14.- of either of them. Moreover, in; a variation of theconstruction which, makes a more secure envelope, by the use of marginalgumming 15 and 16 on the flaps 2 and 3, respectively, for adhesion tothe partition 7, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the same advantage of lowerpostal rates. is obtained, notwithstanding this obstacle againstwithdrawal or pulling out of the partition 7. The only change madenecessary is to replacethe sealing gum 14 on flap 11 with a metallicfastener 18, as shown in Fig.

6, and when thisis done, the opening 0% said flap glvesaccess not onlyto the contents of partition 7 and the side flap 3. As shown in Fig. 5,said partition 7 need not correspond in size to the body portion 1, butmay, if desired, be of lesser width, to correspond substantially to thewidth of the smaller compartment.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope made from a single sheetor blank and providing two compartments, said blank con sisting of arectangular body portion, with a flap projecting therefrom and adaptedto be folded upon said body portion, said flap and body portion therebyconstituting the opposite walls ofthe larger of said two compartments,and said blank further providing oppositely located flaps adapted, whenfolded, to overlap each other and to overlie the first mentioned flap,one of said two last mentioned flaps having a slit constituting entranceto the smaller compartment of the envelope formed between said flapandthe imderlying first mentioned flap, and the other of said two lastmentioned flaps providing a scaling closure for said slit.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope made from a single sheetor blank and providing two compartments, said blankconsisting of arectangular body portion, with a flap projecting therefrom and adaptedto be folded upon said body portion, said flap and body portion therebyconstituting the opposite walls of the larger of said two compartments,and said blank further providing op positely located flaps adapted, whenfolded, to overlap each other in overlying relation to said firstmentioned flap, said overlapping flaps being adhesively secured alongtheir longitudinal edges, and one of them having a slit which forms theentrance to the smaller compartment between said slitted flap and theunderlying first mentioned flap, the latter be ing free to be drawnoutwardly from its fold ed; position underlying said overlapping flaps,thereby to permit postal inspection of the contents of both the largeand the small compartments.

Dated this 27th day of July 1926.

CHARLES E. CATHER.

